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How To Be A Good Interviewer

By Kristin Kizer - Sep. 1, 2022
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In business, it’s not just about nailing the interview for the interviewee; the interviewer also needs to put forth a great performance. Being good at conducting job interviews is difficult because it doesn’t just take knowledge or the right questions; it requires confidence, comfort, and listening. A healthy dose of practice can go a long way, too.

Key Takeaways

  • Preparation is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your interviewing skills.

  • Listening skills are just as important in an interview as asking questions is – probably even more important.

  • Researching and knowing what questions to ask will help you get the necessary responses and make you more comfortable with the process.

  • The questions themselves can be very important, and it’s best to put some work into researching what to ask.

  • Knowing what job interview questions are illegal and avoiding them or even questions that are similar can help avoid a potential lawsuit.

How to Be a Good Interviewer Tips

There is an art to conducting a job interview. It’s not just about getting the answers to prespecified questions; the best interviewers know how to dig deeper and learn more along the way. Connecting with the interviewee takes work and a bit of preparation. These tips will help you polish your interviewing skills.

Preparing for the Interview

Preparing for the interview starts with knowing the topic and who you’re interviewing. In business, interviews are often conducted for hiring purposes, but there are other reasons to interview. No matter what the case, the very minimal preparation requires understanding what the goal of the interview is.

The “why” is your starting place, and the “who” comes next. If it’s a job interview, then you’ll want to review the job description and job posting and then dig into the individual’s resume.

Pair Questions with the Interview

Each person is an individual, which means the questions will most likely need to be tailored to their background and experience. Even when the questions are predefined, your research might lead you to adapt or change what you ask.

Make sure that the questions are informed and get to the root of what you’re looking to discover. If this is for a job interview, don’t get too caught up asking trendy questions like “What superpower do you have?” Instead, stick to questions that are straightforward and can elicit answers that have valuable information.

Review the Job Description and Talk to Management

When you’re hiring someone, understanding what they’re going to be doing is a must for conducting an interview. The job description can give you a lot of information, but management can give you more. They can give you insight into the team dynamic and what personality type is best, and also what key knowledge the individual needs to have.

Practice Asking Questions and Listening

It’s not just about getting the questions out; being a good interviewer is also about listening. If this feels uncomfortable to you, then it’s time to practice. The best interviewers aren’t worried about asking the questions; instead, they’re worried about missing key pieces of information in the answers.

In an ideal situation, the interviewer asks a question and then listens to and processes the answer. Many answers deserve follow-up and diving below the surface to come up with the most insightful information.

Take Notes or Record

Recording an interview can make everyone feel awkward; while it is a great strategy, it can be so off-putting that it ruins the interview. If this is the case, then it’s all about the notes you take.

Having detailed information on the interview will help later. While it may feel like you’ll remember everything, once you ask the same question of several people, it’s easy to get confused.

Work on Empathy

You don’t need to feel so connected to the interviewee that you want to hire each and every person or constantly put people in a better light than they actually displayed. The trick is to be able to convey just enough empathy that you don’t come across as intimidating or distant to the interviewee.

A great interview is a conversation where both parties feel comfortable and equal. This is where synergy takes place, and great results follow.

Don’t Rush

A big problem for interviewers is that they don’t often plan enough time for great interviews. Scheduling back-to-back interviews don’t provide enough time for delving deep and getting to know someone.

Additionally, questions can be rushed and answers ignored if there’s a time limit looming. It’s best to take your time and be thorough.

Know the Answers

Great interviews have to give and take, which means you’re going to be asked some questions, too. The really important thing here is that your ability to answer questions and your approach to answering them can change the vibe of the interview.

If you give thorough and well-thought-out answers, your interviewee will want to mimic you and do the same thing. If you openly admit you don’t know an answer when you don’t, then you’re more likely to get honesty in return.

Job interviews can be a tricky situation because it is illegal to hire or discriminate based on age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity. This can make asking questions tricky, even if you think you’re just making conversation. Asking about someone’s kids can quickly move a conversation into an area that is cloudy and can cause problems later.

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Job Interview Question Tips

A good interviewer knows what questions to ask, it’s not quite that simple, but that’s probably the biggest hurdle. These job interview question tips will help you start sculpting your interview and finetuning your approach.

  • Ask questions about the job and related background information. Don’t stray off topic.

  • Avoid taboo topics, and don’t assume anyone thinks or believes as you do. Keep it professional.

  • Don’t discuss anything physical – unless it pertains to the job. For instance, “Wow, you’re strong.” would be inappropriate. On the other hand, “Do you feel comfortable lifting 50 pounds regularly?” might be what the job requires and a very important question.

  • Don’t get too clever. Asking someone what their favorite sandwich is doesn’t tell you anything about how they’ll do the job, but these questions have become somewhat trendy lately. Avoid silliness and stick to professional questions that relate to the job.

  • Don’t ask leading questions. To get honest answers, try not to ask leading questions that point the interviewee toward the “right” answer.

  • Ask open-ended questions. Yes and no questions don’t give you insight. Open-ended questions allow the interviewee to provide a lot of color and background that let you understand them better.

  • Keep the questions focused on the interviewee. Don’t bring up other applicants and what they said, don’t talk about other employees unless it’s important, and don’t talk about your personal life.

How to Be a Good Interviewer FAQ

  1. Will practice make me a good interviewer?

    Practice will definitely help you become a better interviewer, but practice alone cannot make you good at interviewing. A great interviewer works on it by researching relevant topics, knowing what questions they can ask, listening to answers, and being very present during the interview.

    Becoming more comfortable talking to people and focusing on their answers will make you a more confident interviewer, and that can translate to being a great interviewer. But, on the other hand, if you insist on asking illegal and uncomfortable questions, that’s not going to change with practice.

  2. Are friendly conversations the key to interviewing?

    No, friendly conversations can often lead to illegal questions. There are some questions in a job interview that are simply not allowed and might show that you’re discriminating or showing someone preferential treatment. This might not be what you’re doing, but these questions don’t have any place in a job interview.

    That said, having a friendly rapport with someone can be a good interview. It means you’re communicating on an even level and that everyone feels good about the discussion. It’s a tricky balance between friendly and professional, but it can be a great technique when mastered.

  3. Does everyone interviewed for a job need to be asked the same questions?

    No, not every job applicant needs to be asked the same questions. In fact, you wouldn’t get a lot of great information if you stuck to a script for each interview. Great responses involve follow-up questions regarding that unique person’s experience, education, and motivation.

    That said, you certainly want to have all of the interview questions be in the same vein for all applicants. It can be perceived as discrimination if your questions are vastly different for two candidates with similar professional qualifications.

  4. Can I record a job interview?

    The short answer is yes; you can record a job interview as long as all involved parties consent. Some states legally require informed consent from all people involved, and it’s a good practice whether it’s required or not.

    Can you record job interviews is the question, but should you record them might be a more appropriate question? It’s rare that a recorded interview will be as informative, comfortable, and free-flowing as one that isn’t recorded. This may change as people become more familiar with video interviews, but for the time being, it’s best to keep people comfortable and skip the recording.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.

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